To make the recommendation, the NTSB analyzed data regarding distracted driving and cell phone usage. More than 3000 individuals died last year as a result of distracted driving, including a particularly devastating pile-up in Missouri that resulted in two deaths and 38 injuries. However, despite the NTSB recommendation, many states are hesitant to adopt a complete ban on cell phone use while driving.

Austin has taken several steps to reduce incidences of distracted driving, including banning texting while driving. Additionally, all cell phone use is banned in school zones. There are very few limitations, however, on making calls or other forms of cell phone usage while driving. Almost 100 car crashes in Austin per year are caused by using a cell phone while driving. If you have been involved in an accident caused by cell phone use or distracted driving, contact the McMinn Law Firm today.

The startling number of pedestrian deaths has prompted the Austin Police Department to take measures to promote pedestrian safety, including the formation of the Pedestrian Enforcement Safety Team (PEST). Texas is one of the top ten states for pedestrian fatalities, and Austin alone has experienced 20 pedestrian deaths in 2011. As a result of the most recent deaths, dozens of individuals gathered to rally for further pedestrian protection efforts. As a result, the Austin city council agreed to investigate the area of the crash and develop measures to make Austin safer for pedestrians.

Austin is a walkable city, and many residents choose to walk or bike instead of driving. The APD recommends that pedestrians walk on sidewalks when possible, cross at intersections, and wear bright colors at night. If you have been the victim of a pedestrian accident, contact the McMinn Law Firm today.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the statistics along with their annual report on drivers’ behaviors. The report found that a significant number of drivers were engaging in activities during driving that were distracting and possibly dangerous, including answering and making calls, sending and reading text messages, and using the Internet. Young adults are the most likely to be distracted by their phones while driving.

Distracted driving is the cause of about one-tenth of auto crash fatalities, which amounts to over 3000 deaths. If a distracted driver has caused a car accident that injured you or a loved one, contact McMinn Law Firm today.

According to DPS officials, commercial vehicles are responsible for 15 percent of Texas crash fatalities and they believe the program has already saved countless lives.

Statistics:

- 331,505 inspections performed by the Highway Patrol

- 66,189 commercial vehicles removed for safety violations

- 12,301 drivers removed for safety, license violations

Accidents involving commercial vehicles often result in fatalities or severe injuries due to their size and weight. If you have been injured in a truck accident, contact the McMinn Law Firm for a free case review.

The initiative attempts to put a dent in accidents involving school buses, which accounted for about 750 crashes in Texas alone last year. Officers wrote over 400 tickets for drivers who passed school buses in 2010. Passing a school bus, whether in the same lane, an adjacent lane, or a lane going in the opposite direction, is illegal in order to protect children who are passing in front of the bus to get across the street. It’s important to remain aware of school buses on the road, because they make many more stops than ordinary vehicles, due to dropping off children and stopping at every railroad.

When you’re on the road with a school bus, be sure to keep an eye out for blinking lights. School buses also extend a stop sign from the side of the bus to alert all traffic to stop. If you or someone you know has been injured in a school bus accident, contact McMinn Law today.

The vote comes after almost a year of deliberation, during which the cameras were shut off and then turned back on after a federal ruling. Since Houston originally installed red light cameras, the city has raked in $44 million from citations. However, breaking the contract with the red light camera company could cost $25 million.

Other cities and states have turned off their cameras because of civil rights concerns and the hefty overhead costs. Additionally, several reports have concluded that red light cameras fail to decrease car accidents and might even create a more dangerous roadway — the researchers claim that the cameras create an extra distraction and cause drivers to brake more abruptly instead of driving through yellow lights at a steady speed.

Austin launched its red light camera initiative in 2008, and has periodically added more red light cameras in busy intersections. According to the city of Austin, these intersections have active red light cameras:

• I-35 & 11th St.
• Riverside & Pleasant Valley
• I-35 & 15th St.
• 290 & MoPac
• MoPac & Howard Lane
• I-35 & MLK

During 2010 and 2011, Austin saw more than 800 accidents as a result of running red lights and six of those crashes were fatal. According to the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, about 900 Americans are killed every year due to red lights that weren’t observed.

APD hopes that an increase in red light tickets will raise awareness about the importance to look for and stop at red lights. In Austin, thousands of citations are issued annually for running red lights illegally.

• Koenig and Airport
• MoPac and Scoffield Ridge
• Congress Avenue and Cesear Chavez
• Riverside and Pleasant Valley
• Riverside and Willow Creek
• MLK and I-35 and Ben White and Lamar have also seen a significant number of crashes

Austin Police have begun to monitor these and other dangerous intersections in order to identify what normally causes the crashes. Inaccurate signs, confusing turn lanes, and poorly-placed directions have been identified as the main culprits. Hopefully the concern over the dangerous intersections will generate a pragmatic solution to make Austin roads safer.

The Austin Police Department is already poised to surpass 2010’s and 2009’s number of tickets given out for the offense. And now, after 485 violations in 2011 so far, APD officers will now team up when pulling a driver over; one officer will be on the lookout for drivers who maintain their speed in the adjacent lane. For the drivers who are ticketed, the Class C misdemeanor could cost them up to $200, on top of a possible speeding ticket as well.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that, between 1997 and 2008, drivers who didn’t slow down or change lanes when passing killed almost 200 officers. To keep yourself, other drivers, and emergency vehicles safe, switch lanes or slow down substantially when passing an emergency vehicle. If you get pulled over, try to find a side-street off the highway to park.

Hit-and-run crashes, including those involving a parked car, can cost a driver thousands of dollars, and police say that finding the culprit is usually next to impossible. Parking lots downtown and streets in West Campus are the two places drivers are most likely to be involved in a hit-and-run, most likely due to fears of a DWI charge.

Hit-and-runs are a huge risk for drivers who park in well-populated areas. However, there are certain precautions you can take to protect yourself:

• Insure yourself. Getting insurance that goes beyond liability is a wise investment, especially if you live in high-traffic areas or park in the street.
• Avoid high-risk spots. Most hit-and-runs in Austin occur in the parking lots under I-35 near Sixth Street and at the University of Texas and West Campus area.
• Gather information. If you’re the victim of a hit-and-run, take down the car’s license plate and identifying features, ask witnesses for details they may have seen, and check the security cameras that could have recorded the event.